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Derrick Stephenson
20-03-04, 00:15
What was the historical significance of a brush tied to the masthead of a British warship?
Derrick.
Derrick Stephenson
20-03-04, 23:40
Hi All,
Try the 1600's, and an English Admiral going Dutch!!
Derrick.
Derrick Stephenson
22-03-04, 20:27
During the 1st. Anglo-Dutch war, Admiral Van Tromp defeated Admiral Blake who only had a depleted fleet available.
Von Tromp fastened a brush to his masthead to declare his intention of clearing the Channel of the English.
After Blake subsequently defeated the Dutch in several Naval battles, he in turn fastened a brush to his mastead to signify that he had swept the seas of the Dutch.
Just thought you'd like to know.
Derrick.
Bombardier
22-03-04, 20:30
I racked my brain and the internet to solve this one, but it beat me, and everyone else by the look of it.

Nice one derrick :P
Bill Farnie
22-03-04, 21:17
Similarly, US Navy submarines in World War II, if they fired all their torpedoes successfully, the submarine crew would tie a broom to the conning tower when arriving in port, to signify a "clean sweep".
Derrick Stephenson
22-03-04, 21:42
Hi Bill,
Greetings from Hartlepool in the U.K.
My questions are usually not straightforward because I was never in the Military, (I missed U.K. National Service by 2 months), I just like this site.
One of my brothers posts photos from WW2 involving our Dad who was a Royal Marine.
Derrick Stephenson.